


Run Boy Run

by pretztail



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Parent Death, au where edo stops dueling and adopts a kid, edo and ryo had a past relationship but broke it off, i wrote this as a vent fic in december of last year, nobody dies its just mentions, oh my god how do you write a SUMMARY, theres a date involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 13:10:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14057655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretztail/pseuds/pretztail
Summary: Ryo hasn't heard from Edo Phoenix in over two years. Suddenly, he's face to face with his ex and his new daughter, and with feelings he hasn't had to deal with in years.





	Run Boy Run

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I wrote this in December of 2017 as a vent fic of a sort when it was cold and I was procrastinating a lab report. It has an "oc" if you want to call her that. I'm a little embarrassed to post this but the Ryo/Edo tag needs more content. I hope you enjoy!

Hell Kaiser Ryo Marufuji was back in town for a mere few days, and was expecting it to be a rather uneventful day as he was preparing for his next dueling tournament. Fortunately for him, he ran out of paper towels and was forced to walk to the nearest convenience store in pursuit of them. The air was chilly in early December and was forced to turn around and grab a scarf before briskly walking outside once again, and onto the locally run store down the street.  
The roads had lined up with a few inches of fresh snow, slowly turning into a murky brown mush as cars drove past and people walked over it.

The pro duelist was at his destination in five minutes, and opened the glass door to the store. He was greeted with a slight bell chime and a hint of warm breeze escaping the shop as he walked in. He stalked over the paper products aisle before noticing a very familiar silver head of Edo Phoenix. He was in a dark blue scarf, his face slightly reddened by the chill in the air.

Ryo hummed slightly. He hadn’t spoken to Edo in almost two years, mostly because the two were going their separate ways and had to end their constant on and off relationship, and Edo stopped messaging him after a while. He hadn’t seen Edo on featured on TV in some time and had heard he had dropped out of the league entirely for unknown reasons.

Ryo almost considered hiding until Edo turned around, and most definitely saw the much taller blue haired man, his eyes widening in realization. How stupid of him to even think he could hide with his height.  
Surprisingly, it wasn’t Edo who broke the awkward staring silence, but a voice from just behind the shorter man’s torso.

“You’re the Hell Kaiser!!” Said a very small but radiant voice. Ryo peeked his head around the aisle to see a little girl with big fluffy pigtails holding Edo’s hand staring up at him in excitement. She dropped the hand in favor of running over towards him. He knelt onto one knee so he could acknowledge the little girl who was eager to meet him. Luckily he was used to being seen by fans in public that this was not too uncomfortable.

“I’m Hell Kaiser, yes. Are you a fan perhaps?” He asked politely with a chuckle, noting Edo moving into the aisle not far from the girl, a protective aura about his presence. She nodded viciously, “I am!! I watch all the duels on TV! You’re so cool!! Dad even talks about you sometimes!!”

Edo gaped at her, “I keep telling you not to call me Dad.”

The little girl paid no mind to him, staring up at Ryo with expectant eyes.

“Does he now?” He smiled, glancing up at Edo teasingly, then back at the girl, “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Lilliana, but everyone calls me Lilly,” Lilly piped up, holding her hand out very straight for him to shake. Ryo gave a soft laugh and shook it gently, “It’s very nice to meet you Lilly.”

“Lilliana,” Edo’s voice chimed in, “Why don’t you go pick out one piece of candy? Anything you want, but only one.”

The girl looked over at Edo and smiled wide, “Ok!!” She skipped over two aisles down, and stared at the candy bars as if this was the most important decision she would ever make.

Edo almost glared at Ryo, and Ryo had to break the silence, “Wow Edo, I thought I knew you but I’m starting to think I didn’t know you at all.”

He rolled his eyes at the comment.

“Please Marufuji, save it,” He snapped a bit, but then softened, “...Lilly is my foster child.”

That certainly did surprise the pro duelist, “I would have never expected that, coming from you, Phoenix. You’ve never been the settle-down-with-kids-type.”

“I can be good with kids,” Edo remarked, glancing over at Lilly again to make sure she was still choosing her treat.

Ryo was suddenly fascinated with Edo all over again. Every time he thought he had the man figured out, Edo took him by surprise and Ryo was drawn back into him. Judging by the gentle look on Edo’s face as he watched his foster child, he could tell that something about Edo was different from the last time he saw him. And that fatherhood was a good look on Edo.

With a shake of his head, the shorter man's attention gravitated back to Ryo, a hand on his hip, “So what brings you back in town, Marufuji?”

Ryo rocked on his toes, “I just got back from a plane ride two days ago, and I set out for another tournament tomorrow morning. I happened to be in town for a couple of days.”

Edo seemed satisfied with that. His face was hard to read, as if he was considering something in his mind just now. His eyes glanced over to Lilly again, keeping a watchful eye on her.

“How old is she?”

“She’s 9, turning 10 soon,” Edo answered without missing a beat.

A moment of silence passed between the two duelists, before Ryo cleared his throat.

“Anyway, Edo-“

“Ok, I picked one!!” Ryo was thoroughly interrupted by Lilly, carrying a big bear filled with miscellaneous candy inside. Edo’s expression looked impossible to read, “I said one,” He said a bit sternly.

“I did pick one!”

“She’s got a point,” Ryo spoke up, earning a death glare from Edo. The silver-haired man sighed, “Fine. I did say one.” He took the bear and proceeded to walk to the counter, turning his back to Ryo. He paid for the container of candy, handing it to a bouncy Lilly and then holding her hand as they made their way out the door. Before they could exit, Edo turned back to Ryo, gave him a quick up and down glance before opening the door with a chime, “See you around, Marufuji.”

“Bye Mr. Kaiser!” Lilly practically yelled, trying to wave the hand that wasn’t clutching Edo’s, shaking the bear instead. As they left, he heard Edo mumbling to her about how she didn’t have to call him Kaiser.  
“See you,” He almost whispered. Soon the two were out of sight.

Now he was just left with his thoughts, and his paper towels. So much for today being uneventful.

***  
For the rest of the day, thoughts of Edo flood into Ryo’s mind. They weren’t in contact for almost two years and Edo had a _child_ now. A foster child, but it’s still a child regardless. Edo Phoenix. Ex-Pro duelist who couldn’t settle down with anyone for years and avoided most human contact at all costs.

It was just... so surreal to think about. Ryo also wasn’t going to lie, Edo being a caretaker was... kind of attractive. A good look on him. It was his nature to care for others, to dote on his loved ones. Ryo remembered when _he_ was the one Edo used to lecture for his bad habits.

The older man spent the entire day trying to get Edo off his mind. He cleans, packs, unpacks and then repacks his suitcase again, orders lunch, goes for a walk (not anywhere he’d run into the two again, at least). Then he decides to text Edo.

6:52 pm  
Hey Phoenix, its Ryo. I know this is sudden, but would you join me for dinner tonight? I really need to talk to you again.

He didn’t expect to hear a reply anytime soon, but almost immediately he got a response.

6:54 pm  
I know who you are, I still have your contact, y’know. Tonight is a bit sudden for me. Can we schedule for another time? - Edo

6:55 pm  
I leave for my plane tomorrow at 6 am. Tonight is all I have. Or else we can wait two weeks.

6:59 pm  
Only if you’re paying, and it has to be after 8:30 and I have to be back early. -Edo

7:01 pm  
Sounds good to me. Meet me at the place at 9. There will be a reserved table under my name.

Ryo reserved a seat immediately at “the place”, which was a rather expensive restaurant that they used to go on dates together in the past quite often. It was also someplace they both were kicked out of often as well.

***

Edo closed his lock screen after having stared at his phone for about ten minutes, processing what just happened. Ryo Marufuji, asking him out after two years out of the blue after seeing him once. Edo got over Ryo only recently, but now he tossed back into this. At least he seemed more content now? And he actually approached Edo instead of the other way around. Huh.

He decided to go on the date spontaneously, but now that the interaction died down, he was starting to realize he had no one to watch Lilly for him while he was gone. He made sure the date would happen after her bedtime, but the thought of leaving her alone even while she was merely asleep made him stress.

He texted Asuka, who normally babysat for him, if she was available. Instantly he got a reply: she was not. Fuck. He scrolled through his contacts as fast as he could, looking for other potentials. He gave Manjoume the week off. Judai was busy, if Judai was busy so was Johan, and everyone else he hasn’t spoken to in years. Go figure.

He already made plans and at this point, he’d have to either leave Lilly home alone or cancel the date. He decided he’d just risk it. He’s left Lilly alone one other time, but only because he was late coming home from work, and even then she was awake.

***

The night went on as usual; Edo only made one plate for dinner and told her he wasn’t eating tonight. Lilly went on with her nightly routine, packing her bag for school tomorrow, brushing her teeth, putting on her pjs. By the time she was in bed it was 8.  
Edo walked in, a nicer-then-usual suit on. Lilly looked at him with questioning eyes.

“Why are you dressed, its bedtime.”

A chuckle escaped Edo, “For you, maybe, but not for me.” He kissed her forehead. “Sorry to only tell you just now, but I have to leave for meeting. I’ll stay here with you until you sleep,” he laid on the bed with her, lulling her by gentle stroking of his hand in her hair. It wasn’t long until Lilly was asleep, the quiet room filled with the soft sounds of inhaling and exhaling. He gave her a final forehead kiss and made his way to the restaurant he promised to meet Marufuji.

Edo took his time walking to the restaurant, shoving his gloved hands into his overcoat pockets to fare against the howling cold. Lights twinkled from every shop he passed, calming him. It was only just now he realized how much pent-up anxiety Edo had about meeting up with Ryo on such short notice. Slipping into the front door of the lowkey-yet-lavish-outlet, his eyes met with the host’s as she nodded towards him. She was a long-time employee and knew Edo would escort himself to his own table.

The ex-duelist began to undo his scarf as he pushed his way between tables to where he saw Ryo seated, with two glasses of water ready at the table. Ryo’s dark blue eyes glanced up at him, straightening his position upon Edo’s presence. 

“Fashionably late, as usual.”

There was a roll of the eyes as Edo seated himself across from Ryo, crossing his legs casually. “You should have expected that.”

Ryo replied with a curt hum and watched as Edo flipped through the menu. Edo didn’t need to see the menu, as he already had his usual in his mind, but he figured he’d give his hands something to do while waiting.

“So, Marufuji, how have the last two years been treating you?” Edo asked casually.

There was a shrug. “It’s been alright. Sho and I started our league, but for the most part he runs it. I’m there merely for publicity at this point, and for guest appearances. It’s not really for me.”

Edo nodded, knowing that much. He followed the pro-dueling news, and knew Ryo wasn’t a man who thrived in the spotlight, unlike himself. He was happy to give up his fame to his brother.

“Has Sho been well?”

“Oh, very. His attitude has done a complete turn around and he’s extremely matured now. A duelist to be proud of.”

In that moment the waitress stopped by their table. With their usual orders placed, she took their menus and left the two duelists alone once more. Edo focused his attention back on the man across from him once more.

“And what about you?”

“Me?” Ryo asked.

“Yes, you. Ryo Marufuji, formerly known as Hell Kaiser himself, Mr. ‘Don’t Tell Me To Take My Heart Pills’ ‘I Hope This Duel Is My Last’ Marufuji. How have you been?”

Ryo shifted uncomfortably, giving a noticeable swallow and a twitch in his brow.

“My health has been fine. I’ve made an almost full recovery. My heart is steady, and I have to watch what I eat. I can’t overwork myself anymore. I carry an emergency alert button just in case.”

Edo snorted, almost doubling over as quiet laughs overtook his body.

Ryo’s eyebrow twitched again, “What’s so funny?”

A sniff, and the man in question held up a hand over his mouth and coughed, regaining his composure, “Sorry, Ryo, but you really are an old man if you have to carry around a _Life Alert_.”

Someone wasn’t happy about that comment. “I’m not that old, Phoenix. I’m only three years your senior.”

“Senior.” Edo emphasized, chuckling to himself, "Does your condition let you order off the 55+ menu too?"

An annoyed sigh and an eye roll escaped from Ryo as Edo recomposed himself.

“And what about you, Edo?” Ryo asked with genuine curiousity, laying his chin on his clasped hands, “You’ve basically fallen off the dueling grid, and now you have a foster child. What’s been going on with you?”

“Things have been well. I've dropped out of pro-dueling; I was offered a position in the army as an... overseer of sorts. For the most part what I do is classified, however.”

Ryo’s eyebrows shot up at that. “Oh. That’s definitely interesting.”

“It’s alright, pays well, stable income. I can’t say much else about it,” Edo sipped his water.

“And Lilly?”

“She came into my life exactly two years,” Edo said, looking up momentarily, “She was 7 at the time."

"Lilly was… an accident. A good one. The best accident to happen to me.” _Besides you._

“I was visiting orphanages, as I donated most of my money to various charities. She came up to me; said she recognized me from television. I spent the rest of the day with her, and… something clicked. Like I found a piece of myself that was missing.”  


“So after that, I went to talk to one of her caretakers. Turns out she found both of her parents were murdered one night, and at the time was stuck between foster families.”

He got an empathetic look from Ryo. Not that he nor Lilly needed Ryo’s sympathy.

“So I tried to become her next foster parent. It was a hassle, being a single gay man, plus having a high risk job… But Lilly wouldn’t respond to anyone else. It took me half a year of visiting to convince the orphanage to allow me to take her in as a foster child. That was a year and a half ago.” 

The grey haired man felt something creep up the back of his neck, something he tried to repress. Something that plagued him.

Ryo could tell instantly something was off, “What is it?”

“What?”

“Whatever it was that just made you look like you’re about to puke. Something’s wrong. What is it?” He repeated firmly.

Edo signed and looked down at the table. Guess he was still just as readable by the previous Hell Kaiser after all this time.

“The thing is… I’ve had Lilly as my foster child for a year and a half,” Edo began, sighing, “I love her. She’s my biggest priority in my life now, and I’ve dedicated every resource I have to make sure her life is the best I can give her."

"And I don't... I don't want her to go through what I went through," he elaborated, beginning to pick at his nail beds, "I know what she's been through, how she feels, how to help her. And I want to adopt Lilly more than anything."

A sigh escaped Edo, "But…”

Ryo narrowed his brows, “But?”

“It’s my job.” A pause.

“I’ve already said what I do is currently classified. But I will say that my job could put Lilly in danger. She could be used against me,” A torn look crossed Edo’s face. His eyes were fixated at the nearby table in a painful attempt to keep his composure. 

“And I just keep thinking, ‘I knew I shouldn’t have fostered her.’ Over and over again. I should have stopped seeing her at the orphanage after several months and stopped giving her false hope. I should have left her alone.” White knuckles gripped fistfuls of the tablecloth, "If anything happened to her while she was in my care... I'd be so devastated. I've lost so many important people to me.

There was another pause.

“It’s selfish of me to want her in my custody when I’ve known this whole time that what I do currently could put her in serious danger. If I could quit without consequences, I'd give up my job in a heartbeat for her, but unfortunately that's not the case."

"I've been debating adopting her for so long. As a foster parent, I can turn her back to the orphanage at any moment. But adopting her… She’s in danger, more danger then she was before. Even now she’s vulnerable."

"I can’t have anything happen to Lilly. I don't know what I'd do if she was hurt, or if I ended up losing someone else in my life. I’m on the verge of running away and abandoning her just to keep her safe.”

Taking in the information, Ryo sat forward. What the man before him needed now was honest, blunt advice, and thankfully Ryo was good at just that.

“Look, Edo, being selfish isn’t wrong,” He began, inhaling and looking into his worried blue eyes, “You obviously care for Lilly. You’ll do anything to protect her. Your eyes light up when you talk about her. I haven't seen you this content with your life... ever. You look happy and well, Lilly looks happy and well. You have a lot going for you." 

"Your fear is justified in every way," Ryo started on a new track, "But you cannot let your fear of losing more people get in your way."

"You decided to keep seeing her. You made the decision to foster her. You've put so much time and love into this girl who needed you... and now you want to run from what you started.”

Edo silently took it in, waiting for him to say more.

“That’s your problem, Edo. The moment you get attached, you run,” Ryo was speaking from experience. Edo Phoenix was the type to run. As soon as he realized he got too close to anything, anyone, his instincts took over. His first reaction to just about anything was to fight, but when it came to matters of the heart, his first reaction was flight. He had never been a man to confront his feelings head on, choosing the easier path to ignore them forever. But for once, Edo couldn't run from something.

“You can’t run this time, Edo. You need to be there for Lilly. If she gets hurt, or is in danger, you have to put yourself in front of her and take that bullet for her.” _Like you did for me._

Ryo reached forward, placing his hands on Edo’s clenched ones. Edo shivered, and didn’t make eye contact.

“I can tell Lilly makes you happy, and you’ve come this far for her. You’re a good hero, a good fighter. You win every duel you play. You have determination. You don’t let anything get in your way when you want something. Put that energy into protecting Lilly. Keep fighting for her.”

The man across the table’s face faltered a bit, showing what seemed like stress fading from his mind. He looked peaceful, his hands softening under Ryo’s.

“Thank you, Ryo. You’re the first person I’ve been able to talk to about this dilemma. I just needed a push to finalize my decision in adopting.”

Ryo squeezed his hands and released them, right as the waiter came over with their meal, “I’m glad I could help.”

***

The night went on for then with less-then-friendly-but-also-flirty banter the two were familiar with until the check came. As promised, Ryo picked it up, leaving a considerate tip with it. The two made their way out the door. Edo checked his watch.  
“You promised me we wouldn’t be out late,” he muttered tensely.

“Since when has 11 pm been late for you?”

“Ever since I adopted a child who wakes up at the ass-crack of dawn.” 

Edo looked strained, like he left the stove on at home and it just hit him. He picked up his pace, which was naturally faster even with Ryo’s long legs, and Ryo almost had to jog to keep up. He reached for the shorter man’s shoulder to slow him down. “Did you leave Lilly at home alone?”

Edo winced a bit, looking straight ahead. He also wasn’t about to admit how much he missed Ryo’s touch.

“I didn’t think we’d be out this late, but we kept talking and talking and you were actually _nice_ , and now its past 11 pm, close to midnight, and yeah, I left her alone, which was a bad call on my part and I’ll take responsibility for it,” He was rambling, and had to stop to inhale, “I couldn’t get Asuka or anyone to watch her, with you asking me to come out here last-minute, and I honestly figured this date would be a disaster and I’d be home before 10 anyway.”

Ryo blinked before sighing and rubbing his temple. “Guess we better get you home quick then.”

He reached for Edo’s hand, and the silvery man jumped, refusing to make eye contact with the taller, his face looking warm. Ryo smiled, satisfied with the slight moment he managed to catch the ever-vigilant Edo off-guard. This was enough, and helped him manage to keep up with Edo’s fueled pace.

They made it back in 10 minutes. Edo’s apartment, which was the same one Ryo was familiar with, had a wreath on the front door and a new mat outside the steps. The lights were still off, but there was a faint glow from inside by the Christmas tree. Strange, since Edo said he never celebrated Christmas, not since his dad was gone. There was a hazy outline visible from outside of gifts under the tree, a ridiculous amount of them. Ryo was sure they all were for Lilly.

_Edo, you really have changed._

The man in question seemed to visibly relax enough being outside of his apartment and there was no evidence of any break-ins, checking that the front door stayed locked, glancing up at the security camera remained intact. He turned to Ryo, seeming a bit ashamed.

“Guess my worrying was stupid, now that we’re back.”

“Nonsense,” Ryo smiled slightly, “It was reasonable for you to be concerned.”

Edo raised a brow at the pro duelist. “Why are you smiling.”

Ryo rolled his eyes. “Am I not allowed to smile?”

“It’s just... weird.”

“Well you’re kind of weird, and that’s the reason why it’s there.”

”You’re the weird one,” Edo huffed and turned away.

Ryo softly chuckled at that. Edo looked... soft, glowing under the Christmas lights strung up above his front door, warm breath visible in the cold of the city air. He reached out for Edo’s hand again. The man didn’t flinch this time, looking up to make eye contact with him as he did. Ryo sighed.

“You... you’ve changed so much, Edo. You’ve come so far, if it was even possible for you to go farther than you’ve already gone. You look at peace for once.”

Edo’s jaw clenched just a bit, “Don’t get sappy on me, Marufuji.”

“If you can stop running away from your feelings, then I can get a bit sappy. It’s good to step out of your comfort zone, you know,” Ryo smirked.

The other hand went up to scratch the back of his silver hair, “Whatever you say, Marufuji.”

Ryo continued, “What I’m trying to get to, is that, you’ve grown. Lilly’s been a good influence on you. She’s changed you for the better.”

“Because you’re such a ‘good influence’,” Edo snorted. Ryo gave him an 'I’m serious' glare and he quickly apologized.

“I’m really glad I ran into you earlier,” Ryo concluded, looking at Edo for his response.

“... I am too. A night out to clear my head was what I needed. It was great catching up with you.”

Very slowly the two without realizing began to drift closer, with Edo having to step up on his toes. Their lips met briefly, parted, and met again, and again, each kiss a little deeper and sweeter than the last. They could have gone on like that until Edo pushed Ryo away gently, just enough to break the kiss. “I’m not making out with you on my front doorstep in the freezing cold, and I’m not inviting you inside.”

Ryo laughed genuinely at that. “Understandable. I’ll text you. I should be back before Christmas,” He said, with a hint of future plans in his voice.

Edo sighed,” I’d like that.”

Something must have caught Edo’s eyes, glancing into his own apartment window, looking away, then doing a double take.

“ _Lilly!_ ” Edo shouted, his entire face flushing. Even Ryo felt his face heat up. The girl jolted from her spot, being discovered, and streaked across the house faster than humanly possible.

“Someone’s in trouble,” Ryo laughed to himself, watching as the blue-eyed man immediately turned to unlock his door, and run inside before Lilly could lock herself in a room or hide. The door slammed shut into Ryo’s face, but he couldn’t even be mad. There was a screech of terror from inside confirming the perpetrator was caught.

And with that, Ryo decided it was time to leave. He did have to leave for his flight in almost six hours. He left with idle thoughts of the future, something he hadn’t thought he’d ever look forward to again. Christmas with the Phoenix’s... who would have guessed.

***

Inside the house, Edo scooped up his daughter in a strong hold above the ground, an ear-splitting screech invading his ear.

“I told you to go to bed and stay there.” Edo said with no malice in his voice, and loosened his grip, slowly placed her onto her bed, “You were asleep when I left!”

“I was pretending to sleep,” The little girl admitted, pursing her lip and refusing to make eye contact with her foster-father. “And I wanted to stay up and wait for you!” she exclaimed. His heart melted. Edo leaned down and kissed her forehead, sitting on the bed next to her.

“Guess I can’t punish you for that when I shouldn’t have left you alone to begin with.”

Lilly kicked her feet a bit, an obvious question in her eyes. Uh oh.

“Did you really kiss Kaiser??? Does that mean he’s gonna be my dad too??”

“Please Lilly... just because we kissed doesn’t mean he’s your new dad.” Edo felt his face grow warm.

A squeal fell from her throat, grinning, “You did kiss him.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Can we see Kaiser again?”

“You don’t have to call him Kaiser, sweetie,” Edo chuckled, “He might stop by for Christmas, but we’ll see if he actually keeps his promise. Sometimes he’s been known not to.”

Lilly nodded eagerly, ignoring the second part of his sentence, “Does that mean we have to get him a gift? Can I pick it out?”

Edo tilted his head, his expression softening, “You absolutely can.” A hand went onto her head, petting her dark brown curls gently. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. Edo knew she slept much earlier than this and was amazed she was still awake at this hour. Edo sat next to her and stroked her hair until she fell asleep, finally moving only after she started to softly snore. She was going to be overtired in the morning, that’s for sure.

As he changed out of his suddenly uncomfortable attire and into something more tolerable and continued with his nightly routine, he thought about Ryo. Ryo hadn’t seemed much different himself, still as calm and passive and respectful as ever, except that this time he wanted to try again with Edo. The dark-haired man also was surprisingly gentle with kids. Guess it wasn’t so surprising when he had a younger sibling.

Marufuji always felt like an enigma, but Edo felt like he was a bit less of one around him. Thinking of the possibility of seeing Ryo during Christmas was… Edo didn’t want to admit how it made him feel, so he didn’t.

**Author's Note:**

> arc v fans know what edos new job is


End file.
